[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-363":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Overthrowing Han",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1223122,1620,"Chapter 363: One After Another, They Stray onto the Wrong Path","overthrowing-han-chapter-363",363,"\u003Cp>The fire at Chenggao naturally meant Liu Xuande had succeeded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His plan, put simply, was to have Zhang Fei and Yu Jin confront Hua Xiong on the battlefield, ideally taking his head, then have Yuan Shao make a great show of force to intimidate the Hulao Pass garrison, while he himself seized the moment to join Yue Jin and Lu Dai in launching a waterborne night raid on Chenggao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that is only simple in the telling...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, a waterborne raid on Chenggao — the Yellow River offers an unobstructed view; to move boats by stealth, one could only slip through the waters north of Hulao Pass under cover of night, and lacking landing facilities, the scale of any single crossing was bound to be small, or else discovery was certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, Chenggao is a major city, mutually supporting and interlinked with Hulao Pass, Luoyang, and the Wushe Ford — especially Hulao Pass, which is far too close to Chenggao... or rather, Chenggao itself is part of the Hulao Pass defensive system. If it could not be taken in a single stroke, the raiding force would inevitably be cut off front and rear and slaughtered to the last man beneath the walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So this strategy only looks simple; in truth it was fraught with peril... One crucial prerequisite was that the Chenggao garrison be drawn away in large numbers, and that Hulao Pass be thrown into such panic that it was utterly incapable of responding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, if Zhang Fei could not slay Hua Xiong on the spot, then Liu Bei, Yue Jin, and Lu Dai, already waiting by the Yellow River, would likely never have boarded the boats at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But beyond any doubt, Liu Bei won his gamble... He saw that Hua Xiong was growing increasingly arrogant, and Hua Xiong indeed grew arrogant enough to use himself as bait; he trusted Zhang Fei, and Zhang Fei achieved a stunning feat in a single battle; he praised Yu Jin and Yue Jin, and both men performed brilliantly — one helped Zhang Fei pin down Hua Xiong without a single flaw, the other scaled the walls with him at night and took the city in one stroke; even Yuan Shao and Cao Cao repaid his trust, and in turn trusted him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what is more, even the Hulao Pass garrison did not disappoint him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the flames rose over Chenggao, the soldiers in Hulao Pass, already demoralized by Hua Xiong's death, fell into utter disarray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Cao Cao's forceful urging, Yuan Shao drew his sword and rose, ordering the various lords to commit their full strength — on one hand using the crudest methods to assault the pass through the night, burning the gates and scaling the walls with ropes, while on the other using boats to ferry troops continuously across the Yellow River to support Liu Bei behind the pass... And at the same time, after taking Chenggao and setting the fires, Liu Bei did not hold the city to defend it, but seized the moment decisively, emptying the city and turning his entire force toward the rear of Hulao Pass, attacking the pass from both sides through the night!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battle raged until midnight; the Western Liang army collapsed in full rout, countless soldiers within the pass fleeing or surrendering. Hulao Pass was breached along its entire line, and it was there, inside the pass, that Liu Xuande met with Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and the other lords.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the two sides met, Yuan Shao lavished praise on Liu Bei and all the officers and soldiers who had fought; Cao Cao, Bao Xin, and Zhang Chao each bestowed rewards on Yue Jin, Yu Jin, and Lu Dai respectively; and then the various lords jointly produced a sum of wealth and goods as a reward, so that the entire coalition, high and low, rejoiced for a time — all of which goes without saying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, this jubilant mood soon vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The trouble was stirred up by Zhang Miao and Zhang Chao... The two brothers, seeing Luoyang before them, could not restrain themselves and rashly advanced their troops, but their combined force of nearly thirty thousand was first blocked and delayed in stages by Duan Wei, their columns becoming badly strung out, and then caught in a pincer attack beneath the walls of Luoyang by nearly twenty thousand cavalry and infantry under Xu Rong, Li Jue, Li Meng, and others rushing back in support, resulting in a total rout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without waiting for support from the coalition behind them, the two brothers fled in panic back to Chenggao. And according to the post-battle tally, the two Zhangs had lost over ten thousand men in that single engagement... Not only did the previous victorious atmosphere vanish in an instant, but crucially, the coalition was reawakened to the disparity in fighting strength, so that the entire army was checked and forced back into a stalemate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a time, even Yuan Shao could not help but sigh in despair... Yet fortune never comes in pairs and misfortune never walks alone; what made Yuan Benchu truly collapse was that, merely a few days later, Dong Zhuo's side very considerately sent word on their own initiative, informing Yuan Shao that his uncle's entire family and his elder brother Yuan Ji's entire family had just been executed by Chancellor Dong, and inviting him to come to Chang'an to collect the bodies!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be said, Dong Zhuo had wanted to kill Yuan Kui and Yuan Ji for a long time, and the reason was known to all under heaven — it was nothing more than the two Yuans holding Guandong and waging war against him; the Yuan clan and the Dong clan were in truth as incompatible as fire and water. The reason he had held off for so long was nothing more than the fact that Yuan Kui had once been his patron, that the Yuan clan was deeply entrenched in Luoyang, and that Yuan Kui was the Grand Tutor of the reigning court, requiring consideration of the political fallout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So why was that consideration no longer necessary now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The answer is simple: after returning to Guanzhong, the region's wealth and its natural defensibility gave Dong Zhongying enough confidence and sense of security to act on every whim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone originally, including Gongsun Xun and Yuan Shao, had felt that Chancellor Dong had already been quite unrestrained and violently lawless back in Luoyang, but Chancellor Dong still used facts to show his two juniors that they were far too young and far too naive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is hard for ordinary people to imagine how Dong Zhuo let himself run completely wild after entering Guanzhong!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the brief span of half a month, he held a human-head banquet... that is, while summoning the high officials to a grand feast, he had rebel soldiers from Beidi Commandery publicly executed right there at the banquet; it is said that countless officials were so horrified they vomited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also experienced a second spring in his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is said that the widow of Huangfu Gui — Huangfu Song's uncle and one of the Three Luminaries of Liangzhou — was still alive and still retained her charms. And so, as an old bachelor, Chancellor Dong wished to marry her, thereby forming a marriage alliance with the Huangfu clan, which held deep influence in both Guanzhong and Liangzhou. When the lady refused, he actually beat Huangfu Song's aunt to death on the spot in public!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When word of this reached Huangfu Song, he gnashed his teeth in fury, wishing he could instantly travel back two years and kill Dong Zhuo right there in Guanzhong!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even built a pleasure nest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After arranging the defenses of Guanzhong, Dong Zhuo, disliking life in Chang'an, left his younger brother Dong Min to hold Chang'an, put Wang Yun in charge of court affairs, and then returned to his own fief at Mei County. There, right by the Wei River, he built a fortified stronghold called Mei Fort, and gathered there all the treasures, wealth, military provisions, and armor he had plundered from Luoyang... In all fairness, Dong Zhongying's move was not purely for pleasure; Mei County itself sat astride a vital artery of the Wei River, and by establishing his seat there he could exert immense intimidating pressure on both Liangzhou and Yizhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, after Dong Zhuo began constructing his main base at Mei Fort, both Ma Teng and Han Sui once again expressed submission, and Dong Zhuo himself also began attempting to use military force against Hanzhong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under these circumstances, for the utterly unrestrained Chancellor Dong to casually wipe out the entire Yuan clan as a warning to Yuan Shao would seem, one might say, entirely \"reasonable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what is more, the charge that Yuan Kui was colluding with the rebels east of the passes was not actually fabricated — when Zhang Chao was defeated at Luoyang, many were captured, and among them a man from Guangling confessed something: a scion of the Yuan clan, Yuan Sui, who had once served as a subordinate official to Grand Tutor Yuan Kui, had fled Luoyang and actually gone to Guangling, where he was now overseeing commandery affairs on Zhang Chao's behalf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the evidence that Yuan Kui was in communication with the Guandong lords was conclusive — off with his head, then!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Yuan Shao heard of this, in the midst of his shock and fury he actually developed a headache ailment and could only discuss matters from his sickbed all day... Under these circumstances, to say nothing of advancing on Luoyang, even the various lords found it awkward to come consult with Yuan Shao, and only a few of Yuan Benchu's innermost confidants could barely come and go to make reports.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But on this day, someone arrived unexpectedly. Yuan Shao was in no fit state to receive him, yet could not refuse — the visitor was called Ju Shou, a celebrated scholar of Jizhou, currently serving as an attendant under the Governor of Jizhou, Han Fu. He had come to deliver logistical supplies and inquire about Pan Feng's death, and now, hearing that Yuan Shao was ill, had come in person to offer his condolences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So that is how it is.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After listening to Feng Ji's account, Ju Shou, standing before the sickbed, nodded slightly without showing much inclination to probe further. \"I will naturally report this matter to Han of Jizhou and ask him to decide as he sees fit. As for General of Chariots and Cavalry Yuan, since he has fallen ill and received the tragic news of Grand Tutor Yuan, in my view, he should set his mind at ease and recuperate, and discuss other matters later.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Ji was silent for a moment upon hearing this, first glancing toward the bed behind a gauze curtain. Only after glimpsing the figure behind the curtain lean forward slightly and cough twice did he turn to Ju Shou before him: \"We must trouble you greatly in this matter, Brother Gongyu... Our general has always had a chronic headache ailment; this tragic news arriving so suddenly has brought on the old affliction, which is truly helpless. When you reach Yecheng, you must explain this thoroughly to Han of Jizhou.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ju Shou naturally agreed fully, and after exchanging a few more words, he bowed slightly toward the figure behind the curtain and made to take his leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, just as Ju Gongyu was about to step out the door, he ran headlong into several people, and one of them immediately seized Ju Shou by the waist and forcibly pushed him back into the inner chamber where Yuan Shao was recuperating... And that was not all; another scholar following closely behind this man simply ordered armored soldiers to block the doorway with a human wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is the meaning of this, Zhongzhi?\" Ju Shou was not afraid, merely somewhat torn between laughter and tears. \"The Grand Tutor is dead; I must hurry back to report to Han of Jizhou. As a former subordinate official of the Grand Tutor, he will surely be grieved as well. And General of Chariots and Cavalry Yuan is ill...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master Ju!\" The one blocking Ju Shou was naturally Xin Ping. He simply seized the other man's arm tightly and spoke with blunt directness. \"It is precisely because we have heard that Master Ju's medical skill is the finest in Hebei that we wished to ask you to diagnose and treat our general!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ju Shou could not help but shake his head. \"Since when have I studied medicine? This is a rumor mistaken for truth. I must ask Zhongzhi to release me at once and let me leave.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why must Brother Gongyu be overly modest?\" Another man, stroking his beard, stepped forward to block the way — it was Xin Ping's fellow townsman from Yingchuan, Guo Tu. \"Brother Zhongzhi's clan and my own clan are all now in Yecheng; letters from our clansmen all say your medical skill is unmatched in Hebei... Since you are here, how can you think of leaving without first making a diagnosis for our general?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ju Shou found this increasingly absurd, but he did not argue. He merely exerted his strength, struggling to break free of Xin Ping, then circled around Guo Tu... Yet when he reached the doorway, the armored soldiers standing there were expressionless, merely resting their hands on their swords and blocking the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ju Shou looked around; the people present who could speak, though their expressions varied, all merely stared at him in silence. Left with no choice, he spread his hands and asked in return, \"Why go to such lengths?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We too are at our wits' end!\" Xin Ping bowed slightly with clasped hands. \"If our general were to fall ill and never rise, would we not become men without anyone to rely on? I beg Brother Gongyu to forgive us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ju Shou was helpless. \"Only a brief diagnosis?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Indeed.\" Feng Ji behind him, though unclear on the reason for Xin Ping and Guo Tu's actions, was no fool and immediately chimed in to cooperate. \"If Brother Gongyu can make a brief diagnosis for our general, we will certainly not stint on generous thanks!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I dare not ask for generous thanks.\" Ju Shou sighed, his expression immediately turning solemn. \"But I must make one thing clear beforehand: I will only make a diagnosis; I will not prescribe any medicine!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Tu and Xin Ping exchanged a glance and agreed crisply: \"Brother Gongyu may proceed with the diagnosis; the matter of medicine we will handle ourselves.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ju Shou shook his head, then stepped over to Yuan Shao's sickbed, sat down again behind the layer of gauze, and then spoke words that startled everyone: \"In my view, General of Chariots and Cavalry Yuan's illness today lies not only with Dong Zhuo, but also with the General of the Guards; not only with the troops west of the passes, but also with the lords east of the passes!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Shao was not feigning illness; he truly was suffering from his headache ailment, and on top of that, the transition from spring to summer with its wide temperature swings between day and night had given him a touch of a cold... But whatever the case, the moment he heard these words, he abruptly froze behind the cloth curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I must ask Brother Gongyu to explain clearly.\" Feng Ji beside him had clearly not expected the other man to be so direct; after a brief moment of shock, he took the initiative to earnestly inquire on his lord's behalf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is there that cannot be explained clearly?\" Ju Shou sat on the stool before the sickbed and spoke boldly. \"It is nothing more than seeing how valiantly Liu Xuande and that Zhang Yide fight, and indeed how valiantly all the various units of Dong's army fight, and thus worrying that the General of the Guards and Dong Zhuo are too powerful, fearing their invincible prowess in battle. Then, with Luoyang right before you, it is tasteless to swallow yet a pity to discard; Chang'an lies to the west, yet is hopelessly distant... And so you wish to turn back and deal with the Guandong lords to strengthen yourself, yet you do not know exactly how to deal with them! In particular, the General of the Guards is in Hedong and shows no sign of giving up, leaving you, Lord Yuan, uncertain whether you should give up or not... Is that correct?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be said, blocking Ju Shou was clearly a private act by the two Yingchuan townsmen Xin Ping and Guo Tu; Feng Ji knew nothing of the details, but by now he was thoroughly convinced. \"Then may I ask further, Brother Gongyu... The crux of the ailment is roughly as you say, but in curing the illness and learning from past mistakes to prevent future ones, where do the underlying causes and reasoning behind this crux lie?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General of Chariots and Cavalry Yuan.\" Ju Shou smiled wryly at Feng Ji for a moment, then turned his head and asked the curtain before him with a solemn expression. \"Do you wish to emulate the General of the Guards and accomplish certain things, yet always feel you do not know how to begin, and then are plagued by hesitation and uncertainty?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From behind the curtain came a fit of violent coughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In that case,\" Ju Shou continued, \"has General Yuan ever put himself in another's place and considered why the General of the Guards always presses forward indomitably, so resolutely? What is he thinking? And Dong Zhuo as well...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gongyu, do not keep us in suspense,\" Xin Ping could not help but interject, watching the figure behind the curtain coughing incessantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Very well. In my view, the reason General Yuan has fallen into confusion is simple.\" Ju Shou answered boldly. \"It is that when it comes to conquering all under heaven, what Lord Yuan lacks is different from what the General of the Guards lacks! Lord Yuan, the great trend of the world is already utterly different from years past. Although the house of Han still exists, it is merely lingering on its last breath; any clear-sighted person understands that the house of Han cannot be revived, yet also cannot perish suddenly, and that an age of great contention has already arrived... At a time like this, for a man to be a hero, to undertake great matters for the world, it is not enough merely to be skilled in war or to possess renown. He must be able to command armies on horseback and govern the people once dismounted; behind him he must have households, counties, and provinces as his foundation, and before him he must have the aid of heroes and wise men from every quarter! What General Yuan worries about, in the final analysis, is nothing more than that although he himself wishes to be such a hero, he always feels something is still lacking — and then, comparing himself to the General of the Guards, he does not even know whether he has already fallen so far behind as to be beyond catching up... Is that correct?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the words had even faded, Yuan Shao, his face pale, barefoot and wearing only his inner garment, rose from behind the cloth curtain and stepped forward. Right before the couch, he grasped Ju Shou’s hands… then, without waiting for the other to react, he voluntarily let go and bowed deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this bow, he was about to speak again, but could not stop coughing. His face flushed red, alarming those around him — Feng Ji, Guo Tu, and the others hurried over to support him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ju Shou studied the other’s complexion and recalled the temperature of his hands when they clasped moments ago. He understood that the man was not feigning illness. And thinking of that bow just now, waves surged in his heart, a rush of emotion leaving no time for reflection… He hesitated no longer, and right there before the couch began to analyze the situation in detail for Yuan Shao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, Ju Shou’s meaning was very simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He believed that the times had changed. At a moment like this, one could not pursue old things by old perspectives. Instead, one must decisively, in the manner of dealing with a chaotic age, pursue new things… Specifically, one must rapidly establish a complete political group and political system suited to a chaotic age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This system must effectively encompass politics, military affairs, civil affairs, and personnel — a complete military-political system for a chaotic age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, in Ju Shou’s view, the reason Dong Zhuo, Gongsun Xun, Yuan Shao, and of course the barely-qualifying Yuan Shu were regarded as the four most powerful men under Heaven was neither their military ability nor any sort of prestige… After all, when it came to fighting, Gongsun Xun could hang the two Yuans up and beat them; in terms of troops and terrain, Dong Zhuo also stood supreme under Heaven; and in terms of prestige, the two Yuans were born of the realm’s secondary surname, with half the officials under Heaven being their family’s disciples… It was simply that, at this very moment, no matter what they relied upon, only these four men under Heaven could serve as political cores around which a complete system could be rapidly built!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or, to put it the other way around, it was precisely because these four were the most likely to swiftly become new political cores that they became the Four Powers under Heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, with the chaotic age arriving so suddenly, these four men had different origins, temperaments, and capital from the start, so what they relied upon to become political cores also differed… For instance, Dong Zhuo relied on deposing and enthroning the Son of Heaven, using strong troops to seize the central pivot; Gongsun Xun relied on his personal military strength and local administration; the two Yuans relied on their family background and the Yuan clan’s disciples and former officials throughout the Guandong region — and among them, Yuan Shao was also the widely acknowledged leader of the partisans!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Yuan.” Ju Shou spoke with earnest sincerity. “Let me say a few things… First, I know that a great part of your worry and fear this time stems from seeing, in the battles at Hulao, Chenggao, and Luoyang, the military dominance of the General of the Guard and Dong Zhuo. But in my view, temporary military dominance is not worth mentioning! When it comes to fighting, what was Gaozu before Xiang Yu? Yet who was the final victor? If you can establish a complete system, then when the time comes, countless troops will endlessly temper themselves into mighty armies on the battlefield; famous generals like Han Xin and Bai Qi will emerge to face ‘Xiang Yu’ for you; and men like Xiao He and Zhang Liang will plan the greater situation for you, devising strategies from a thousand li away!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Shao listened utterly entranced. Though a maidservant was applying a hot cloth to his face to relieve his nasal congestion, he could not help nodding repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Second, in truth, by comparing yourself with Dong Zhuo and the General of the Guard, Lord Yuan should already have realized what it is you truly lack.” Ju Shou continued. “Take Dong Zhuo, for example. He actually did quite well. He had no troops, so he borrowed Lord Yuan’s family prestige to gather soldiers; he had no renown or righteous mandate, so he deposed and enthroned the Son of Heaven, recruiting scholars in hopes of securing great power; when he found himself encircled in Luoyang, he immediately turned toward Guanzhong to establish a base… Of course, the man’s conduct was too brutal, and his origins too low, so although these directions were correct, he instead gradually lost the people’s hearts!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, what our general lacks is simply troops and a base territory?” Guo Tu suddenly interjected. “After all, our lord comes from four generations of Three Excellencies, bears the realm’s secondary surname, and has eradicated the eunuchs — all under Heaven feel gratitude… He does not lack renown or righteous mandate. If the cause cannot be pursued, then there is no need to concern himself with this campaign against Dong!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly!” Ju Shou nodded frankly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then…” Xin Ping also suddenly seemed unable to hold back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This, in fact, is precisely why the General of the Guard is so fixated on Dong Zhuo and refuses to let go.” Ju Shou hurriedly spoke again, clearly unwilling to give Xin and Guo room to elaborate. “His purpose in this campaign against Dong is, first, to take Bingzhou and expand his base territory; second, he is, after all, of frontier commandery origin — stronger than Dong Zhuo, but far, far inferior to Lord Yuan. So he can afford not to seek control of the court, but he absolutely cannot allow the Son of Heaven to fall into another’s hands… This is his disadvantage!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Shao, who had been applying a hot cloth to his face for quite some time, suddenly let out a sigh. He finally discarded the cloth and spoke in a hoarse voice: “Master Gongyu… these principles of yours — I and those around me have always known them to some degree, but always vaguely, dimly, never has anyone laid the matter out so thoroughly as you have, bringing clarity to my mind and leaving no further doubt… Could it be that your coming here, Master, is Heaven’s aid to me? Now, I already know what I must do. There is only one thing…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The General of the Guard will not withdraw his troops!” Before the other could finish, Ju Shou delivered his conclusion with absolute finality. “He has his own difficulties, and his own innate character… If he does not take Guanzhong and hold the Son of Heaven, then however formidable he may be, he will not be enough to contend with Lord Yuan in the long run!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That is good, that is good!” Guo Tu was overjoyed. “In that case, my lord can set his mind at ease and attend to the affairs of Guandong!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Shao nodded slightly. Just as he was suppressing a cough and preparing to speak again, Ju Shou, who moments ago had been so earnestly devoted, abruptly rose to take his leave… Yuan Benchu had originally intended to urge him earnestly to stay, but a subtle thought stirred in his heart. Not only did he not urge him to stay, he personally, despite his illness, escorted the other out the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My mind is made up!” In Anyi, Hedong, Gongsun Xun, who had been stalled for a month with no way to advance, finally made his decision after reading the reports on the series of battles at Hulao, Chenggao, and Luoyang, and after hearing of Dong Zhuo’s unrestrained outrages in Guanzhong. “We must break through to Guanzhong!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Break through from where? And how?” Tian Feng looked at him coldly. “The Guandong coalition broke through Hulao — and then what? What did it have to do with the overall situation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yuanhao asks well.” After Sima Lang had put away the military reports, Gongsun Xun suddenly rose to his feet. “What the Guandong coalition does is, in truth, irrelevant to us. And as for how to break through, I truly do not know. There is only one thing — from where to break through? That, on the contrary, has long been settled… Is it not those two places? Let us divide our forces here and now. Yuanhao and Zibo, stay here and keep watch on Pujin. I will personally lead troops across the river to threaten Tongguan! Otherwise, is there a third path?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Feng stood with his arms folded, wanting to speak but ultimately saying nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——————I am the dividing line of the third path——————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the first year of Chuping, the lords campaigned against Dong. Shao was the coalition leader, with a joint army of one hundred thousand threatening Hulao. Dong Zhuo sent his Grand General Hua Xiong to face them at Hulao, where he flaunted his might, winning battle after battle, and none could withstand him. Only Liu Bei, undeterred by his own weak forces, volunteered to be the vanguard and strike at him. His subordinate Zhang Fei, catching sight of Hua Xiong’s command banner, spurred his horse and pierced Hua Xiong amidst the ten thousand troops, severed his head and returned. None of Zhuo’s generals could stop him, and the three armies were awed. That night, Bei, judging that Hulao had lost its commander and would be unprepared, again personally led a thousand men by boat to land behind the pass. He first took Chenggao, then seized Hulao, and the lords were awed once more. Yet Shao, though outwardly pleased, was inwardly troubled because both Bei and Fei were old associates of the Grand Ancestor, and he fell ill from worry.” — Old Book of Yan, Hereditary Houses, Part One\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Thanks to the book friend Jinse Qiujia, yet another new Alliance Master… an old book friend, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, don’t worry about the updates. Count on it within a week… I will definitely repay the debt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",4894,"2026-06-04T19:42:26.060Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","338bcf6e502387363381036d8aac8db021e17f1de60b4e6601ecc6e3af87709d","overthrowing-han-chapter-364","overthrowing-han-chapter-362",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]